Outside of work Anne Barker has been dedicating her time to participate in the prison fellowship. This is a Christian organisation which helps support prisoners. Anne has been working with this fellowship for 3 years and is hoping to start up again next year.

Over the 3 years, Anne has been involved in many things. One of them being the Angel Tree group. This involves working with prison chaplains and local churches to give prisoners the opportunity to send Christmas presents to their children. 

More recently, Anne has joined the Sycamore Tree group which focuses on restorative justice for the prisoners. This involves a 6-week course where volunteers bring victims of crime and offenders together (if appropriate) as a way for the prisoner to learn about the effect of their actions, the impact it had and its widespread effect on the community. The course focuses on guidance, rather than teaching, as the volunteers want to guide the prisoners through their learning on the effects of crime.

The course is split into 6 sessions and each week has a different aim:

Each volunteer (known as a facilitator) has 5 men to guide, and the first session involves introductions, setting rules/expectations and distributing a workbook for the prisoners to complete in their alone time. 

The prisoners watch up to 3 videos of crimes happening to real people.

A victim of crime comes into the session to talk about their experience and how it affected them.

The workbook is collected in week 3 and often their homework reflects what they have heard in the previous week. Their second workbook is given out in this week and collected in week 6. Both are sent for external examination. 

The prisoners participate in tasks which involve discussing various aspects of crime and how it affects the community. They also introduce a story from the bible and how it can be applied to modern times.

This week focuses on a symbolic symbol of restitution. Examples being, letters to victims apologising and then sharing this with the group, some have written poems and produced raps, and some have made models. 

As the course comes to an end, the prisoner will get a certificate of attendance if they have attended all 6 weeks and have handed in a completed workbook. 

They will receive either a Level 1 or Level 2 certificate depending on the quality of the work they have produced. As the workbooks are externally marked no prejudice or favoritism can influence the marking. 

This certificate is important as it can support prisoners with their parole and rehabilitation. For many men, this is their first ever certificate, so it is a very rewarding moment for both the prisoners and volunteers. The course has had a significant impact on the statistics for reoffending (typically 75%) as they are drastically lower for the men who complete this course (around 30%).

It's amazing to hear about what Anne has been doing outside of work and the difference she is making to people's lives. 

We would love to hear about anyone else's volunteering stories. Please check out the Environmental Social Governance page to find out how you can use the 'Time to Volunteer' scheme to support this.